2 Samuel 6 - David Brings the Ark of God Into Jerusalem

Psalm 132 is commonly associated with the events of this
chapter.

A. The failed first attempt.

1. (1-2) Bringing the ark of
God to Jerusalem.

Again
David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. And
David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale
Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name,
the Lord of Hosts, who dwells between
the cherubim.

a. David
gathered all the choice men of Israel:
David gathered so many of his best soldiers because bringing the ark to
Jerusalem was an important step towards providing a central place of worship
for all of Israel.

b. To
bring up from there the ark of God: This
was the Ark of the Covenant, which God commanded Moses to make more than
400 years before David's time. It was a wood box (the word ark means "box"
or "chest") completely covered with gold and with an ornate gold lid
or top known as the mercy seat.

i. The ark of God was 3
feet 9 inches (1.15 meters) long, 2 feet 3 inches (.68 meter) wide and 2 feet 3
inches (.68 meter) high. In it were the tablets of the law that Moses brought
down from Mount Sinai, a jar of manna, and Aaron's rod that miraculously budded
as a confirmation of his leadership.

c. The Lord of Hosts, who dwells between the
cherubim: The ark of God
represented the immediate presence and glory of God in Israel. David considered
it a high priority to bring the ark out of obscurity and back into prominence.
David wanted Israel to be alive with a sense of the near presence and glory of
God.

i. The last mention of the ark of God was when
it came back from the land of the Philistines in 1 Samuel 7:1. It sat at the
house of Abinadab for some 70 years. David had a great motive - to emphasize
the presence and glory of God in Israel.

2. (3-5) The Ark is brought
out with great joy.

So
they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of
Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of
Abinadab, drove the new cart. And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab,
which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before
the ark. Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments of fir
wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on
cymbals.

a. So
they set the ark of God on a new cart:
Transporting the ark on a cart was against God's specific command. The ark was
designed to be carried (Exodus 25:12-15) and was only to be carried by Levites
of the family of Koath (Numbers 4:15).

i. God wanted the ark to be
carried because He wanted nothing mechanical about the ark, representing His
presence. "The ark was nothing less than the burden of the Lord, and the
burden of the Lord was to be carried on the hearts of the Levites."
(Redpath)

ii. We can imagine what these
men thought. "Look - we have a new
cart for the ark of God. God will be very
pleased at our fancy new cart." They thought that a new technology or luxury could
cover over their ignorant disobedience.

iii. "We want God's
presence very much, don't we? But we like to hitch His presence to some of our
new carts. We like to add Him to our list of organizations, to load Him on top
of the mechanics of a busy life, and then drive. How much of our service is
really in the energy of the flesh, I wonder! So often we put forth our hands,
but not our hearts." (Redpath)

iv. "It is not new things
we need, but new fire." (John Wesley)

v. The Philistines transported
the ark on a cart in 1 Samuel 6:10-11. They got away with it because they were
Philistines, but God expected more from His people. Israel was to take their
example from God's Word, not from the innovations of the Philistines.

b. Uzzah
and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart: The meaning of the names of these sons of Abinadab paint
a meaningful picture. Uzzah means "strength" and Ahio means "friendly."

i. Much service for the Lord is like this - a new cart, a big
production, with strength leading and friendly out front - yet
all done without inquiring of God or looking to His will. Surely David prayed
for God's blessing on this big production, but he didn't inquire of God
regarding the production itself. This was a good thing done the wrong way.

c. Then
David and all the house of Israel played music before the Lord:
Judging from the importance of the occasion and all the instruments mentioned,
this was quite a production. The atmosphere was joyful, exciting, and engaging.
The problem was that none of it pleased God because it was all in disobedience
to His word.

i. We are often tempted to
judge a worship experience by how it makes us feel. But when we realize
that worship is about pleasing God, we are driven to His word so we can
know how He wants to be worshipped.

ii. It is hard to receive it
in our consumer-oriented culture, but worship isn't all about what pleases
us. It's all about what pleases God.

3. (6-7) Uzzah is struck dead
for touching the ark.

And
when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to
the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of
the Lord was aroused against
Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the
ark of God.

a. When
they came to Nachon's threshing floor: At
a threshing floor the whole stalks of wheat were gathered and the chaff
was separated from the wheat. There was a lot of chaff in this
production, and God blew away the chaff at Nachon's
threshing floor.

b. Uzzah
put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it: This was strictly forbidden. Regarding the transporting
of the ark Numbers 4:15 says, they shall not touch any holy thing lest they
die.

i. Uzzah made a decision in a
moment to disregard God's command and to do what seemed right to him. Even
decisions made in a moment matter before God.

c. God
struck him there for his error: God
fulfilled the ominous promise of Numbers 4:15 and struck Uzzah. David
wanted Israel to know the presence of the Lord
and God showed up at Nachon's threshing
floor - but not in the way anyone wanted.

i. Uzzah's error was more than
just a reflex action or instinct. God struck Uzzah because his action was based upon a critical error in thinking.

·Uzzah erred in thinking it didn't
matter who carried the ark.

·Uzzah erred in thinking it didn't
matter how the ark was carried.

·Uzzah erred in thinking he knew all
about the ark because it was in his father's house for so long.

·Uzzah erred in thinking that God couldn't
take care of the ark of Himself.

·Uzzah erred in thinking that the ground
of Nachon's threshing floor was less holy than his own hand.

ii. "He saw no difference
between the ark and any other valuable article. His intention to help was right
enough; but there was a profound insensibility to the awful sacredness of the
ark, on which even its Levitical bearers were forbidden to lay hands."
(Maclaren)

4. (8-9) David reacts with
anger and fear.

And
David became angry because of the Lord's outbreak against Uzzah; and he called
the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day. David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, "How
can the ark of the Lord come to
me?"

a. David
became angry because of the Lord's outbreak:
David's anger was based in confusion. He couldn't understand why his good
intentions weren't enough. God cares about both our intentions and actions.

b. How
can the ark of the Lord come to
me? David knew it was important to bring
the ark of the Lord into the center of
Israel's life. He wanted all Israel to be excited about the presence and glory
of God. Because of what happened to Uzzah, David felt he couldn't do what God
wanted him to do.

i. David's response in the
rest of the chapter shows that he found the answer to his question. He answered
the question with the thought later expressed in Isaiah 8:20: To the law and
to the testimony! David found the answer in God's word.

B. The successful second attempt

1. (10-12a) David leaves the
ark with Obed-Edom.

So
David would not move the ark of the Lord
with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of
Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the Lord
remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his
household. Now it was told King David, saying, "The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom
and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God."

a. David
took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom:
David did this in fulfillment of God's word. Obed-Edom was a Levite of the family of Koath (1 Chronicles 26:4).
This was the family within the tribe of Levi that God commanded to carry and
take care of the ark (Numbers 4:15).

b. And
the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and
all his household: When God's Word was
obeyed and His holiness was respected blessing followed. God wanted the ark to
be a blessing for Israel, not a curse. We might say that the curse didn't come
from God's heart but from man's disobedience.

2. (12b-15) The ark
successfully comes to Jerusalem.

So
David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the
City of David with gladness. And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he
sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and
David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel
brought up the ark of the Lord
with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

a. So
David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the
City of David with gladness: David was
glad to know that the presence and glory of God could bring blessing instead of
a curse. He was also glad to see that when they obeyed God they were blessed.

i. David explained to the
priests why God struck out against them in their first attempt to bring the ark
to Jerusalem in 1 Chronicles 15:13: For because you did not do it the first
time, the Lord our God broke out
against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.

ii. When the worship was in the
proper order it was still filled with
gladness and joy. It is a mistake to feel
that "real" worship must be subdued, solemn, or only in a minor key.

b. When
those bearing the ark of the Lord
had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep: This was elaborate, excessive, over-the-top sacrifice.
This excess of sacrifice communicated atonement, consecration,
and longing for fellowship.

i. 1 Chronicles 15:11-15 shows
us that David specifically commanded the priests to carry the ark the right way
- on their shoulders. We often think that a "new cart" or "strength"
or a "friendly" manner is the way to bring the presence and glory of
God. But God always wants His presence and glory to come on the shoulders of
consecrated, obedient, praising men and women.

ii. It also showed that David
brought the ark to Jerusalem with a big production - bigger than the first
attempt. David was wise enough to know that the problem with the first attempt
wasn't that it was a big production, but that it was a big production that came
from man and not God.

c. David
danced before the Lord with all
his might: David didn't hold back anything
in his own expression of worship. He didn't dance out of obligation but out of
heartfelt worship. He was glad to bring the ark
of the Lord into Jerusalem according to God's word.

i. This expression of David's
heart showed that he had a genuine emotional link to God. There are two
great errors in this area - the error of making emotions the center of our
Christian life and the error of an emotionally detached Christian life. In the
Christian life, emotions must not be manipulated and they must not be
repressed.

ii. We don't think that
dancing is strange when the baseball player rounds the bases after the game
winning home run. We don't think it is strange when the winning touchdown is
scored or when our own child scores a goal. We think nothing at hands raised at
a concert or a touchdown. We should not think them strange in worship to God.

d. David
was wearing a linen ephod: It is a mistake
to think that David was immodest. 1 Chronicles 15:27 indicates that David was
dressed just like all the other priests and Levites in this procession.

i. From our knowledge of
ancient and modern culture, we can surmise that David's dance wasn't a solo
performance. He probably danced with simple rhythmic steps together with other
men in the way one might see Orthodox Jewish men today dance. In this context,
David's linen ephod means he set aside his royal robes and dressed just like
everyone else in the procession.

ii. We might also point out
that David's dancing was appropriate in the context. This was a parade with a
marching band, a grand procession. David's dancing fit right in. If David did
this as the nation gathered on the Day of Atonement, it would be out of context
and wrong.

3. (16-19) David brings
everyone present into the worship experience and the fellowship meal.

Now as
the ark of the Lord came into the
City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King
David leaping and whirling before the Lord;
and she despised him in her heart. So they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place in the
midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt
offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he
blessed the people in the name of the Lord
of hosts. Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude
of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of
meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his
house.

a. She
despised him in her heart: David's wife
Michal didn't appreciate David's exuberant worship. She felt it wasn't
dignified for the King of Israel to express his emotions before God.

i. "No doubt, there are
particularly nice and dainty people who will censure God's chosen if they live
wholly to his praise, and they will call them eccentric, old-fashioned,
obstinate, absurd, and I don't know what besides. From the window of their
superiority they look down upon us." (Spurgeon)

b. They
brought the ark of the Lord, and
set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle: After many years - since the ark was lost in battle - the
ark was returned to the tabernacle and set in the most holy place. The emblem of God's presence
and glory was set at its proper place in Israel.

c. Then
David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord:
The burnt offerings spoke of consecration. The peace offerings
spoke of fellowship. This was a day of great consecration and fellowship
with God. It was also a great barbeque.

4. (20) Michal's complaint.

Then
David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out
to meet David, and said, "How glorious was the king of Israel today,
uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of
the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!"

a. David
returned to bless his household: After
this day of great victory David came home to bring a blessing to his whole
family.

b. How
glorious was the king of Israel today:
With biting sarcasm, Michal's criticism could have ruined this whole day for
David. He might have expected such an attack after such a remarkable day of
victory. "Pirates look out for loaded vessels." (Spurgeon)

c. Uncovering
himself today: Michal seemed to indicated
that she didn't object to David's dancing, but to what David wore when he set
aside his royal robes and danced as a man just like the other men celebrating
in the procession. David acted as if he were just another worshipper in Israel.

5. (21-23) David's rebuke of
Michal

So
David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house,
to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord,
over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord. And I will be even more
undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the
maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor."
Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

a. It
was before the Lord: David didn't let Michal's sarcastic criticism ruin his
day. He simply explained the truth: "I did it for God, not for you."

i. This is not a justification
for everything in the context of worship. When David considered the context of
the procession and the whole setting, his conscience was clear. He knew his
dancing wasn't inappropriate to the setting or context. Someone who acts
inappropriately to the setting or context of a meeting can't simply justify it
by saying, "It was before the Lord."

b. To
appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord: "David did not say, 'Over my people': he
acknowledged that they were not his people, but Jehovah's people. He was only
lieutenant-governor; the Lord was still the great King of Israel."
(Spurgeon)

c. And
will be humble in my own sight: What David
did was humbling to him. He didn't dance to show others how spiritual he
was.

i. "David would more and
more abase himself before the Lord. He felt that whatever Michal's opinion of
him might be, it could not be more humbling than his own view of himself.
Brother, if any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him; for you are
worse than he thinks you to be." (Spurgeon)

d. Therefore
Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death: Michal's barrenness was not necessarily the result of
Divine judgment. It may be that David never had marital relations with her
again. Nevertheless, the principle stands: there is often barrenness in the
life and ministry of the overly critical.